ation was over. The air shifted. This was no longer a family squ

d forward, hauling the sobbing Lydia, the terrified Faye, and the numb Jed Tucker out of the

or uncoiling. He walked towards her, his tall frame c

low murmur with no warmth. "Far more...

tilt her head back to meet his gaze. "Now.

Your Highness, my family's business must be c

d. "Are you giving me

fering you a political asset. A united House Michael, free of internal st

referring to the kind of 'use' you

dn't

w better than anyone. My 'Scarlet Fervor' and your 'Fr

speak. The Royal Physicians had studied his curse for a decade and found n

. "What happened tonight was a temporary solution. A stopgap. Without prope

te to hers. His li

e cogs of his suspicious mind turning.

my safety are to be guaranteed. Second, I require your silent supp

offer settle. "In return, I will give you th

slightly. "I will g

rd, played with ab

t you?" he asked, voic

hness," she said, her voice dropping to a low, intimate murmur,

heat of her skin, a memory his body craved even as

d spent a decade trapped in a personal

ly asked, "Lydia Michael. How

on was his

e certainty, that she had

-